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Burke Racing
Burke Racing is a team currently operating in the ISCRA Can-Am Cup Series and the ISCRA Sparco Pro Series. Since opening in 2001, the team has been moderately successful, winning 50 races and the 2014 driver's championship in eighteen years of operation. The team began running Dodges as a satellite team to Pilot Racing, as then-driver Anthony Burke was under contract with the team. In 2006, Burke announced amid a contract dispute that he would be leaving Pilot Racing to drive for his own team in 2007. The team then switched to Chevrolet, which they have continued to run since then. As of the 2019 season, Burke Racing currently fields three full-time cars in the ISCRA Can-Am Cup Series: the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Lindsey Blackwell, the No. 28 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Julia Kitt, and the No. 58 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Connor Montgomery. The team also fields a part-time entry in the ISCRA Sparco Pro Series - the No. 41 Pontiac Firebird for Lindsey Blackwell with equipment from Hopkins Motorsports. ISCRA Can-Am Cup History Car No. 1 History Anthony Burke (2007-2015) The No. 1 car was formed in 2007 following a contract dispute between team owner Burke and his then-employer, Pilot Racing. After a new deal could not be reached between the two, Burke left the team and formed a third entry for his team, switching from Dodge support to Chevrolet and obtaining sponsorship from Dupont. Burke's first season with his own team was a moderate success; he finished 16th in the standings with nine top-fives and eleven top-tens. He improved in 2008, winning the first race at Phoenix and finishing ninth in the standings; 2009 was even better, as he finished sixth in the standings with two wins and thirteen top-10s. In 2010, the team lost some of its luster. Burke could only muster an 11th-place finish in the final standings, only notching one win at Sonoma. However, he did not fail to finish a race at all that season, which allowed his crew to spend more time improving their cars. The team steadily improved all season and ended on a high note, leading the most laps at Homestead before finishing third. 2011 was an improvement, as he finished 10th in the final standings despite going winless. 2012 was even better, as he won three races and finished seventh in the standings. With a new set of rules and regulations arriving in 2013, Burke seemed to turn a corner. His whole team was firing on all cylinders, as he won three races and moved to sixth in the standings. 2014 was just as good, as he won two races and finished 11th in the standings following a string of poor luck near the end of the season. His 2014 was not without controversy; after a speeding penalty cost him a win at Atlanta, he went on a tirade in the media center after the race, which put him on probation for three races and cost him $25,000 in fines. In January 2015, Burke announced that this season would be his last in the Cup Series. His final Armory Digital 500 did not go as planned; just after halfway, he was spun coming onto pit road for green flag pit stops. The car hit the inside wall head-on, taking out two other cars and leaving his car unable to compete. However, he soon rebounded and finished 2015 fifth in points with three wins, thirteen top-fives, and twenty top-tens. In his final race, the 2015 ASUS Dark Knight 500 at New Jersey Motor Speedway, he finished sixth after a strong run all day, exiting the car to a standing ovation from the crowd. Lindsey Blackwell (2016-present) After Burke's retirement, he began the search for his replacement. Pro series standout Lindsey Blackwell was tabbed to drive the No. 1 Chevrolet SS for Burke beginning in 2016, signing a two-year deal with the team. In her first race, the 2016 Armory Digital 500, she stayed in the back for most of the race before making a charge through the field to finish 11th. Her bold, feast-or-famine driving style caught the eye of many in 2016, especially Wayne Clark; the veteran was leading the closing stages of the Food City 500 before being moved by Blackwell for her first career win. After the race, Clark admitted he didn't expect that to happen, but mentioned that Blackwell would soon be a force to be reckoned with. Blackwell finished 2016 19th in points, with a win, four top-fives, eleven top-tens, and a pole at Milwaukee. 2017 was a major downturn for the team. After veteran Robbie McCall left for Caldwell Racing Team, the team lost its team leader and its main driver. Blackwell finished 15th in the standings, but only scored three top-tens; her outstanding consistency was rewarded with a three-year contract extension signed in late 2017, with an option for the 2021 season. Unfortunately, 2018 was even worse for the team, as they finished 28th in the final standings, only scoring one top-ten at Talladega. 2019 was a major turning point for the team. After Peace Tea, their primary sponsor, unexpectedly left after the 2018 season, the team had to scramble for sponsorship. As a result, Blackwell had a multitude of sponsors for the 2019 season, including Axalta, Dell, TaxSlayer, FirstEnergy, and Raven. With a new rules package promoting closer racing, the team was able to close the gap between them and the top half of the field. Blackwell won her second career race at Auto Club Speedway on fuel mileage, finishing the season eighteenth in points with one win, six top fives, and fourteen top 10s.Category:Teams